Harvester



May 14, 1929.

3 Sheets-Sheet l H.HEUER HARVESTER Filed June 4, 1925 i N n'g'; U Q '\15L1 \-Jf F1 n l y., u s w 9 1 ,i N l -H I Pi N. u 5% i d N O O R N w Q Q Y May 14, 1929. H. HEUER 1,712,616

. HARVESTER Filed June 4, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I awww'.

May'l4, v1 929.

H. HriuERI HARVESTER Filed June 4, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented May 14, 1929.

UNITED STATES HENRY HEUER, or COBB, WIsCoNSIN.`

HARVESTER.

Appiicanon filed June 4,

gagement by the sickle knives.

A further object is to provide vine lifting and feedingmeans designed to be substituted for the ordinary reel used in connection with the sickle bar of a harvester and which serves both to lift the vines and to convey them to a delivery belt. e

lVith the foregoing and other objects in. View which will appear as the description proceeds. the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and 1n the details of construction hereinafter described vand claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment'of the invention herein disclosed may be made Within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying `drawings the preferred form ofthe invention has been shown.

In said drawings, r Figure 1 is a front elevation of the apparatns constituting the-present invention. Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof. Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical longitudi- `nal section throughL the lifting and feeding mechanism, the sickle bar and adjacent parts being also shown. A

Referring to the figures byV characters of reference, 1 v`designates a ground engaging wheel supporting a lframe indicated generally at 2 and which frame has a lateral extension 3 provided, at its outer cnd-7 with a supporting wheel 4.. Forwardly extending gathering fingers 5 project from the lateral extension 3 of the frame 2 and mounted for yreciprocation` back of these fingers is a sickle bar 6 the blades 7 of which work within guard fingers 8, such as ordinarily provided. An endless belt 9 having transverse cleats 10 is mounted to travel longitudinally of the frame extension 3, or, in other words, transversely of the direction of movement of the machine and the upper flieht of this conveyor is solocated as to receive the cut vines as they are directed rearwardly from the sickle bar. The mecha- 1925. Serial No. 34,925.

nisrn operating this conveyor is not important and any suitable means may be provided. For that reason the same has not been shown or described in detail.v lt might be stated,

however, that this conveyor mechanism, which includes upwardly extending portions located within fram es 11, is adapted to deliver thc cut vines laterally from the machine andy the said conveyor mechanism, which may be driven by the wheel 1 through suitable mechanism provided therefor, includes a gear 12 which meshes with another gear 13 formed integral with or secured to a beveled pinion 11.1.. rlhis pinion, in turn, meshes with and is adapted to drive a pinion 15 secured to one end of a shaft 16 which is journaled within a sleeve 17 and has apinion 18 secured to its lower end. i `This last pinion meshes with lanother pinion 19 secured to a short shaft 2O which is journaled within one side portion of the sleeve 17 and. carries sprockets 21 one of which is adapted to tran smit mot-ion through a. chain 22 to another Sprocket 23 secured to a transverse shaft 24 journaled in an upstanding yoke or frame 25.

The mechanism thus far described corresponds with that disclosed in .my application hereinbefore mentionedand, in itself, constitutes no part of the present invention.

The extension 3 of the frame 2 is provided adjacent'the respective gathering fingers 5 with side arms 26 suitably supported by said extension 3. In these side arms are journaled the ends of a bail 27 to one side of which is connected a rod 2S extending from an adjusting lever 29. By means of this lever the bail can be swung back 'and forth and, by the use of a toothed segment 3() and dog 31, the lever and the bail can be held in any position to which they may be moved. f f

Extending downwardly from the end portions of the bail are links 32 the lower ends of which are pivotally connected as at 33, to the forward ends of strips 34 v,which are slotted longitudinally as at. 35. Bolts 36 are extended through these slots and serve to hold the strips 34 to the sides of a frame37 supported aboveand extending forwardly beyond the sickle bar 6. Arms 38 are secured to and extend rearwardly from the sides of the frame 37 and are pivotally mounted on `a transverse shaft 39 suitably supported below the arms 26 in bearings 4() provided therefor. The pivotal connection 33 constitutes a shaft carrying sprockets 41 and the shaft 39 also carries sprockets 42. Mounted on these sprockets are endless chains 43 connected by cross hars 44 which. are hingedly connected to the chains as shown at 45. Extending from each of these hars isa series of lifting tiiies or lingers 46 and a spring arm 47 also extends from each har. These arins are adapted to travel successively along a slat 48 which is secured on and extends longi- 'tudinally of the frame 37 and also extends downwardly in front of the frame along a line concentric with the shaft 33 and thence rearwi'irdly along the Abottom of the frame. This has been illustrated clearly in Figure 3. rlhe bottoni portion of the frame 37 is closed with sheet metal or the like indi lated .at 49, this sheet metal extending upwardly in front of shaft 33 and rearwardly to the front end of the frame 37. A shield formed of sheet iiietal can also vhe extended from the rear end of the frame 37 around shaft 39 so as to close the space between the frame and said shaft.

lVlieii the machine is moved forwardly the sickle liar will, he operated hy the usual or any preferred mechanism so as to cut the vines standing in `the path thereof. It has heen found in practice, however, that many vines lie close to the ground and will pass under the sickle bar. Fortlie purpose of overcoming this objection and assuring the harvesting of practically all of the vines, the structure shown in Figure 3 has been provided. By means of lever 29 the frame 37 can he swung downwardly at any desired anglo so that the tines or lingers 4G, as they travel downwardly across the front end of the frame 37, will sweep into engagement with the low lying vines and will drag them rearwardly and upwardly so as'to bring them into engagement with Vthe reciprocating sickle liar. The vines will he pulled from ythe sickle har hy tli ese fingers so `as to he deposited on the conveyor 9 and will thus he carried laterally and delivered from the machine in a maniier which will he olivious. As the chains 43 are actuated the hars 44 will he caused `to travel iii the direction indicated by the arrows iii Figure 3 and the spring fingers 47 will he brought successively into contact with the slat 43 so as to hold the fingers `or tiiies 4G extended outwardly as shown.

iistlie tines move rear 'ardly after `passing downwardly in front of shaft 33 they will he free to `yield slightly under the pressure exerted tl'iereagainst hy the vines, this yielding resulting from the resiliency of the fingers 47. Afterthe vines have heen drawn by the lingers onto the conveyor 9, the spring fingers 47 will pass ed of the slat 48 and the shield 50 and `thus allow the gathering fin gers or tines 46 to hang freely as shown at the right of Figure 3 until they are swung around into the position shown at the top of Figure 3 by contact with the shield.

It iinight `he stated that motion is 4to he transmitted tosha-ft 39 by any suitable mech- `anisii'i. For example sprocket I5l can he vsecured theretoiand willrece'ive motion through a chain 52 from a sprocket 53 on the shaft 24.

By providing the adjiistahly mounted side strips 34, the distance between the shafts 33 and 39caii he lengtliened or shortened as preferred and chains 43 longer or shorter than those illustrated can 1be used.

In Figures 2 and 3 the lifting fingers 46 `and the parts supporting ythe same are shown raised to an intermediate position. y

lVhat is claimed is:

A vine lifting and feeding lattacliiiiiei'it for harvesters including a shaft mounted for rotation, a frame mounted to swing ahoiitthe shaft, hearing strips adjustably connected to and extending from the frame, a shaft journallcd therein, sprockets 'uponftlie two shafts, parallel chains mounted on 'the sp rockets and extending over and under the frame, cross hars hingedly connected to the chains, said hars being parallel, `a series of lifting tines Vextending from eachloar, a springlarm lixedly connected to and extending from each liar, slats secured to the frame Vand vconstituting tracks for the spring arms thereby to hold `the hars normally pressed yieldingly aga-inst the cliiiinswitli the tines extending outwardly from the chains, a shield 4extending around the pivot shaft and carried by the frame, said shield constituting means rfor engagement by the spring arms on ieacliingone end portion of the attachment to maintain the tiiies in downwardly extended positions during a portion of their upward movement and to invert 'the tines `to iipwardlyexteiided ypositions dui'- ing their forward movement, and means un der the control of the `oliierator for swinging the frame andthe kparts carried thereby about the pivot shaft.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have .hereto affixed my signature.

HENRY HEUER. 

